In my crowded, cramped shop, it can be difficult to rip long pieces from full-sized sheet goods using the table saw. That’s when I turn to my track-guided portable circular saw. Although this eliminates the hassle of wrangling work onto the table saw, I don’t have the convenience of using its rip fence for quickly sawing multiple pieces to the same precise width. When faced with sawing a bunch of identical cabinet sides recently, I cobbled up a pair of T-shaped spacers that allow for quick, accurate, repetitive track setup. Registered against the edge of the stock, the spacers ensure that the track is parallel to the edge, and that all resulting cuts are the same width. The spacers are simple to make; just ensure that their length includes the width of the saw kerf and that they’re wide enough to provide a solid, reliable reference when setting the track.
—Joe Hurst, senior editor
